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Parakstīts Viļņā, 1999.gada

5.februārī trīs oriģināleksemplāros angļu valodā.

Latvijas Republikas

Igaunijas Republikas

Lietuvas Republikas

Valdības vārdā

Vilis Krištopans

Mart Siimann

Gediminas Vagnorius

Ministru prezidents

Agreement on the consular

assistance and co-operation between the Government of the

Republic of Latvia, the Government of the Republic of

Estonia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania

The Government of the Republic of

Latvia, the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the

Government of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to

as "the Contracting Parties"):

Desiring to promote the consular

co-operation between themselves;

Taking into account the

developments on the field of consular co-operation within the

framework of the Baltic Committee of Ministers;

Taking note of the fact that

consular relations, privileges and immunities are dealt with in

the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations signed on 24th April

1963, and recalling the Article 8 of the Convention which

provides that a consular post of the sending State may, unless

the receiving State objects, exercise consular functions in the

receiving State on behalf of a third State;

Bearing in mind the best interests

of their citizens;

have agreed as follows:

Article 1.

Definitions

For the purposes of the present

agreement:

1. "The assisting State" means the

Contracting Party whose permanent diplomatic mission or consular

post provides the consular protection for the citizens of the

other Contracting Party in third countries.

2. "The assisted State" means the

Contracting Party whose citizens may seek the consular protection

in the third countries from the permanent diplomatic mission or

consular post of an assisting State.

Article 2.

General principles

1. A Citizen of the assisted State

in need of consular protection in States where the assisted State

has no permanent diplomatic mission or consular post, may seek

the consular assistance from the permanent diplomatic mission or

consular post of the assisting State.

2. Such assistance should be

provided in conformity with the rules and regulations in force

both in assisting State and in assisted State.

Article 3. Scope

of assistance

The consular protection of

citizens of the assisted State will include following consular

functions:

a) assistance in cases of

death;

b) assistance in cases of serious

accident or illness;

c) assistance in cases of arrest,

detention or imprisonment;

d) assistance to victims of a

violent crime;

e) relief and repatriation of

distressed nationals;

f) issuance of the certificates of

return;

g) acting as notary in similar

capacities and performing certain functions of an administrative

nature, in conformity with the laws and regulations of the

receiving State.

Article 4.

Evidence of citizenship

1. Consular officer of the

assisting State may take measures to clarify whether the

applicant is a citizen of the assisted State.

2. Such measures include:

a) asking the applicant to submit

a valid citizen's passport;

b) asking the applicant to submit

any other certificate of citizenship;

c) in case of doubt the consular

officer of the assisting State should refer to the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs or the nearest diplomatic mission of the assisted

State for confirmation of applicant's citizenship.

d) any other means that does not

contradict the international law and internal law of the

Contracting Parties.

Article 5.

Assistance in cases of death

When the death of the citizen of

the assisted State is reported to a diplomatic mission or

consular post of the assisting State, the consular officer:

a) inform immediately the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs or the nearest diplomatic mission of the

assisted State;

b) may, in accordance with local

rules and regulations, having established the wishes of the

next-of-kin, assist through appropriate channels for the body to

be buried, cremated or repatriated to the home country;

c) enables the next-of-kin of the

deceased person to obtain a certificate of death;

d) may provide any other kind of

assistance that does not contradict the interests of the assisted

individual, the Contracting Parties and principles of

international law.

Article 6.

Assistance in cases of serious accident or illness

1. A citizen of the assisted State

who is seriously ill or who is a victim of a serious accident

should receive, by whatever means appropriate, all possible

assistance.

2. Such assistance may

include:

a) notification to the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs or the nearest mission of the assisted State;

b) visits of a consular

officer;

c) advice on provision of suitable

medical treatment;

d) any other kind of assistance

that does not contradict the interests of the assisted

individual, the Contracting Parties and principles of

international law.

Article 7.

Assistance in cases of arrest, detention or imprisonment

1. Taking into account the

standards settled in the international law, the detained should

receive by appropriate means all possible assistance.

2. Such assistance may include, in

conformity with the international law, internal law of the

Contracting Parties and local rules and regulations:

a) visits of consular officer;

b) petitions for pardons;

c) legal aid (including legal

representation);

d) payment of fines as settled in

Article 11 of the present Agreement;

e) co-operation in cases of

transfer of prisoners;

f) any other kind of assistance

that does not contradict the interests of detained, the

Contracting Parties and principles of international law.

3. Mission of an assisting State

shall inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the nearest

mission of the assisted State of arrest, detention or

imprisonment of its citizen.

Article 8.

Assistance to victims of violent crime

1. A citizen of the assisted State

who is the victim of a violent crime, should receive, by whatever

means appropriate, all possible assistance.

2. Such assistance may

include:

a) support to obtain medical

treatment and legal advice;

b) report of the crime without

delay to the appropriate police authorities;

c) any other kind of assistance

that does not contradict the interests of the assisted

individual, the Contracting Parties and principles of

international law.

3. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

or the nearest mission of assisted State whose citizenship the

victim possesses, should be informed of such incidents in full

details.

Article 9.

Assistance in cases of distression

Consular assistance to the

distressed nationals of assisted State may include:

a) guidance on helping

themselves;

b) guidance to obtain financial

support from private sources;

c) financial assistance as

provided for in Article 11.

Article 10.

Repatriation

1. If possible, the opportunity to

repatriate should be facilitated for the distressed citizens of

the assisted State.

2. Such repatriation includes

following procedures:

a) submission of an application

for repatriation by distressed citizen of the assisted State;

b) the confirmation that the

applicant is eligible for assistance from the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs of the assisted State should be obtained;

c) promotion with financial

assistance (including the purchase of a travel ticket) as

specified in the Article 11 of the present Agreement.

Article 11.

Undertaking to repay

1. No financial assistance may be

given or expenditure incurred on behalf of a distressed citizen

of the assisted State without the approval of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of the assisted State.

2. In all cases, if it is possible

and reasonable, the citizen of an assisted State who received

financial assistance by assisting State, should obtain the

undertaking to repay, which includes:

a) value of financial assistance

provided;

b) where applicable, consular fee

for the assisting State.

3. The undertaking to repay

obliges the person who received the financial assistance from the

assisting State to repay all the costs as specified in the

paragraph 2 of the present article to the Government of the

assisted State.

4. The Government of the assisted

State will reimburse such costs to the Government of the

assisting State.

5. The Contracting Parties shall

endeavour not to provide financial assistance to the citizen of

the assisted State before an equivalent sum of money to the

financial assistance required by the distressed person has been

forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the assisted

State.

Article 12.

Certificate of return

1. If the travel document of a

repatriating citizen of the assisted State has been lost or

cannot be used for any other reasons, the consular officer of the

assisting State should issue to the person a certificate of

return.

2. Issuance of a certificate of

return should be confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of

the assisted State.

3. If a residing non-citizen of

the assisted State, who bears the travel document that has been

issued by the authorities of the assisted State, loses or cannot

use this travel document for any other reasons, the consular

officer of the assisting State should issue to the person a

certificate of return.

Article 13.

Co-operation

1. The Contracting parties shall

develop consular co-operation within the framework of the

appropriate body at the Baltic Committee of Ministers.

2. Such co-operation shall

include:

a) facilitation and monitoring of

the implementation of the present Agreement;

b) elaboration of general and

specific consular, administrative, financial and any other

instructions, where appropriate concerning the implementation of

the present Agreement;

c) exchange of relevant consular

information;

d) analysis of different types of

consular cases to harmonize practices between the Contracting

Parties;

e) specification of the permanent

diplomatic missions and consular posts providing the consular

assistance.

3. All disputes arising from the

implementation of the present Agreement shall be settled through

the diplomatic channels, preferably within the framework of the

appropriate body mentioned in the paragraph 1 of the present

article.

Article 14.

Language

Communication between the

Contracting Parties concerning the application of the present

Agreement shall be conveyed in English.

Article 15.

Final provisions

The present Agreement shall enter

into force thirty days after the date when Contracting Parties

notified each other in writing through the diplomatic channels

that the necessary constitutional procedure for the entry into

force have been completed.

Done in Vilnius on February 5,

1999, in triplicate in English.

For the Government

of the Republic of Latvia

of the Republic of Estonia

of the Republic of Lithuania

Vilis Krištopans

Mart Siimann

Gediminas Vagnorius

Prime Minister